Celebrating Eleven!

This month we had a celebration in the house!  Streamers, candles, cake and all!  Celebrating her eleventh birthday, my daughter's busy schedule was almost too full to fit in a birthday session.  Somehow the stars aligned and in short notice we managed to carve out a little pocket of time before the month of April was over!   I can hardly believe she turned 11 years old!!  It's been a treat to watch her learn, grow and try new things.  I treasure this time with her!!  Happy Birthday to my wonderful daughter!

Talkin' Shop

I love photography!  I love to talk ‘shop’ with anyone that might be the slightest bit interested in photography.  Several people have asked me what kind of camera I own.  I use a Canon 5d Marks II.  My camera and the lenses I own are great tools for capturing creative images.   I chose my camera because of it’s incredible high iso ability to capture images in low light conditions.  I can crank that puppy up to 3200 iso and still get a pretty clear shot without too much grain.  The fact that it’s a full frame camera (vs. a cropped frame) I’m able to take advantage of my lens’s full capability without sacrificing a crop factor.  I own three lenses;  50mm 1.4, 24-70 2.8 L, and my 70-200mm 2.8 L.  Each one allows me to create something a little different when it comes to creativity.  My 50mm, with it’s 1.4 f-stop brings in an amazing amount of light when wide open and is perfect for those lower light situations.  My 70-200mm has such incredible zoom and compression creating that creamy bokeh look that I love.  And my 24-70mm is a perfect lens for portrait photography.   Put that lens on a full-frame camera like the 5d, its wide angel ability is pretty impressive at 24mm.  Do I have a wish list for additional lenses?  Sure, I do.  There are so many amazing lenses on the market and knowing the strengths of each lens will help in deciding which lens is right for each particular situation.

Sometimes People mistake the camera and lenses themselves for creating the final image.  You may actually be surprised if you see an image straight out of camera (SOOC).  I’ve included a few before and after below.  Because I shoot in a RAW format I am not allowing my camera to process the image.  Unlike jpeg format where the camera compresses and processes the image leaving little room for changes in post processing.  Instead, I download the RAW files on my computer which acts like my digital ‘dark room’.  I pull the images into a program called Lightroom.  That is where I sort and organize my images and make initial edits to exposure, contrast, brightness, saturation and vibrance.   I then take my images into CS5 (Photoshop).  I use the image taken in my camera as almost a rough draft to my final masterpiece, if you want to call it that.  I can enhance the image with vibrant colors, sharp features, touch-ups as well as crop and add a vignette to a photo to be pleasing to the eye.  I personally like to add textures to enhance an image and give it either a vintage or edgy feel depending on what I see in my vision.  Photographers each have a slightly different process depending on their own interpretation of a photograph.   That is what makes us each unique.  I think when choosing a photographer for your family or event it’s important to look at the photographer’s individual style and make sure it matches up to your taste.    

I  applied for my business license in late 2009 and made things official for Colleen Davis Photography.  I have a passion for what I do.  And as much as there is to learn out there, I enjoy every minute.  The people I meet, challenges I give myself in creating images, and editing photographs to capture what I see - it’s all wonderful!

If you’ve read this far, I assume you’re interested in photography as well.  If you ever want to talk ‘shop’ I’m always eager.  Thanks for reading this post.  

Colleen

Someone is turning th...th...thr...

Three years old!!  That's a difficult one to say!  Probably more so because he's our baby and he's growing up so fast!  With a January birthday, I never imagined that he would ever get an outdoor session for his birthday unless he was bundled from head to toe to beat the cold.  But this year, with temps in the 40's here in MN (unheard of for January), we headed outdoors and took some images that really captured his personality.  He loves being outside!  All summer he spent hours on the play set...climbing, swinging, sliding.  Even as it got cold, this little guy would bundle up just to get on that tire swing!  What a perfect week of warmer temperatures to celebrate his birthday and be able to enjoy the outdoors!  Happy Birthday!  We love you and are so happy you're part of our family! xoxoxo

    and a little sun flare on this warm January day!

Happy New Year and Welcome 2012!

Happy New Year!  It's already January 3rd.  After a full two weeks of enjoying family, friends, and all of the festivities that come along with the end of the year, I'm back in my office.  I'm back and being grateful for all that 2011 brought.  With close to 40 sessions including a dozen HS Seniors and three weddings, I met some wonderful new people in 2011.  I feel so blessed.  I look forward to all that 2012 will bring.  Happy New Year!

Cool Family Session!

Having worked with this High School Senior last fall, it was great meeting his entire family for their turn behind the camera!  Despite the cooler temperatures in Minnesota, this family braved the cold air!  They had just cut their Christmas tree that morning and were ready for their family photos that afternoon!  Although, we are past the bright fall colors this time of year, it is still one of my favorite times to photograph.  I love the warm brown tones and tall soft prairie grass which give a country feel.  We had some fun, cracked some jokes and got some great images for this family!  Thanks so much for being such great sports!   Here's a sneak peek:

This mom is so gorgeous!

Love this one....I could just jump in and be part of this cool family!

Love this Family!

I love this family!  They put a smile on my face every time I see them!   I've known them forever and have enjoyed seeing their family grow with these two awesome kiddos!  We took advantage of one of the last 50 degree days here in Minnesota for their session.  I may have to hire their little girl as my assistant.  She was great at scouting out spots as we hiked down the coolest path!  Here's just a sneak peek for this family!  

  

On the other side of the camera

As photographers we are so comfortable behind the camera.  It's rare that we get a chance to be on the other side.  This was a great opportunity for me to put a fellow photographer friend on the other side of the camera.  A busy mother of three, I knew she would treasure a few of just her and her hubby too!  I love how these turned out!  I'm grateful that we still found some fall color and even more grateful that in exchange she was able to capture my family this fall.  Thank you so much!!!  Here's your sneak peek!

Three little darlings!

Three little darlings...what can I say?  Cute as can be!  And a huge Kudos to dad - who brought them to their session by himself!  Mom wasn't able to join us but with the weather growing cooler and wanting fall photos of the kids, she sent her husband with the three kiddos to the session!  I couldn't help but picture my husband taking our kids to a photo session without me there to supervise!  That thought actually made me LOL!!  But their dad was cool, calm and collected.  The afternoon went so unbelievably smooth!!  Mom can be so proud of how great her children did and how wonderful her husband was to take on this task....I'm extra excited to show their sneak peek so mom can see what we were up to yesterday!  

I mean seriously, could they be any cuter?

So grown up!

I can not believe how grown up these sisters are now!  It amazes me because I've known them both since they were babies.  That must mean I'm growing up too!  I had a ball with these two girls!  Despite the windy day we found a great spot protected from the breeze.  I won't sneak peek too many since I know they were looking for a Christmas picture....shhhh, here are just a few:

Autumn colors in full swing for this family session!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year and the colors and weather this week is exactly why it gets my vote!  This beautiful family chose the perfect week to deck out in their fall clothes and head out for a sunset session!  Darling, darling, darling family is all I can say!  And their dog....amazingly cooperative!  Wow!  The whole family was so fun (and equally as cooperative as the doggy) to capture!  Here are a few from your session!!

just the cutest family!

Gorgeous family!

What a perfect evening for a summer photo shoot!  I knew this family's session would be a fun one!  Not only are they gorgeous, but they are so sweet and such wonderful neighbors.  And the girls are awesome... my kids would agree as these girls have been their babysitters for years!  This is a special summer for them as they get ready to send their oldest off to college in a few weeks (we will sure miss her!!).  Thank you for the opportunity to capture your family!!  Enjoy your sneak peek! 

This one looks more like three sisters than a mother and her daughters!!

Gorgeous light and sun flare for a special session!

I noticed the beautiful sunlight last night and commented what a perfect night for photographs....too bad I didn't have a session scheduled for that evening.  Then, out of the blue my daughter says 'Hey mom, how about you take me out for a session tonight?'.  Ok, at that point I about fell out of my chair.  My kids never volunteer for a photo shoot.  In fact, it usually requires quite a bit of bribery on my end.  Before she finished her sentence, I had the car packed.  She turned 10 yrs old in April and we had never really done a formal session as we were waiting for better weather and to get outdoors.  She absolutely loves reading and all I knew is that I wanted to incorporate her love of books somehow in the session.  With that gorgeous light I was able to really capture the sweetness and beauty of my daughter who is growing up so fast!  I love having my mommy/daughter time!

Love this sun flare....